Sept. 1, 2009
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Led by 2008 NCAA All-American Bridget Franek (Hiram, Ohio), the Nittany Lion women's cross country team will hope to fire on all cylinders this fall and earn an elusive bid to the NCAA Cross Country Championships. The Nittany Lions, also paced by seasoned veterans Cheryl Spring (The Woodlands, Texas), and Leah Rosenfeld (Ridgefield, Conn.), have faced some of the toughest competition in the country in recent years, competing amongst the perennially stacked Big Ten Conference, and distance-powered Mid-Atlantic Region.
The Nittany Lions will open the 2009 season at the Dolan Duals in Lock Haven, Pa., on Friday evening. The 4,000-meter short cross will give the Nittany Lion women a chance to get a race under their belts and tune up for the upcoming season.
Last year, the Nittany Lions were ranked among the country's top 30 for much of the season, but ran into an unrelenting Big Ten field, which included seven ranked teams, and bumped heads with five rated programs within their own region, coming up just short of a bid to the national championships. The Lion distance contingent would fight back on the track, playing a crucial role in Penn State's second-straight victory at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships, and adding important points in the Lions' second-place effort indoors.
"Its do or die time for the Nittany Lion women's cross country team," said Director and Head Coach of Track and Field/Cross Country Beth Alford-Sullivan. "Having come up just short of a national bid for the past two seasons, this team is on a mission to arrive in Terre Haute."
Following the Lock Haven competition, the Lions will host the Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational (Sept. 11), before heading to Princess Anne, Md., for the Cappy Anderson Invitational at Maryland-Eastern Shore - the host of the 2009 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships. The Nittany Lions will then take on a national-caliber field at the Notre Dame Invitational on Oct. 2, before heading home to host the always challenging Penn State National on Oct. 16. For the first time since 1999, Penn State will play host to the Big Ten Championships set for Sunday, Nov. 1, at the Blue-White Golf Course, kicking off the 2009 championship portion of the schedule. Following the Big Ten meet, the Lions will be off to the Mid-Atlantic Region at UMES on Nov. 11 in hopes of earning a bid to the 2009 NCAA Championships, slated for Nov. 23 in Terre Haute, Ind.
Returners
Franek will close the books on one of the most successful cross country careers in Nittany Lion history this fall, after earning All-America honors as a junior in 2008. Franek's resume is matched by few, as she has earned all-region honors at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional in her first three attempts, and has gone three-for-three in NCAA Championship appearances. On the track, Franek recently returned from the IAAF World Championships in Berlin, Germany, where she competed for the United States in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. All told, the senior owns five Penn State records on the oval, and has earned a combined six All-America certificates on the track and the course. Franek is also the second-fastest steepler in collegiate history, boasting the personal-best of 9:36.74 to go along with impressive PRs of 4:38.63 in the mile, 9:10.04 in the 3,000-meters, and 15:58.31 for 5,000-meters.
Joining Franek up front is Spring, a consistent member of the Lions' scoring pack since she stepped on campus as a freshman. A two-time all-region finisher, Spring posted her first collegiate win at the Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational in 2008, and earned top 15 finishes at the Iona Meet of Champions, Oregon Bill Dellinger Invitational, and Penn State National. On the track, Spring is a regional qualifier in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and 5,000-meters (16:32.56) and was an NCAA provisional qualifier in the 5000 indoors.
Redshirt-junior Rosenfeld is back after a stellar 2008 cross country season, where she was a reliable member of the Lions' scoring five and added an individual victory at the Iona Meet of Champions. A miler on the track, Rosenfeld was an NCAA provisional qualifier in the indoor mile (4:45.46) in 2008, and was an NCAA regional participant at 1500-meters as a sophomore.
"With senior laden frontrunners and an exciting freshmen class, this group of women will need to execute in order to achieve this season," continued Sullivan, in her 11th year at the helm of the women's program. "Bridget will get a late start, so we won't be at full steam until October but I except the Lions to be competitive each and every weekend."
Looking for successful sophomore campaigns is duo Kara Millhouse (Boiling Springs, Pa.) and Caitlin Lane (Greenwich, N.Y.), who both showed great promise as rookies in 2008. Millhouse was named the team's top freshman in 2008 after finishing as the Lions' fifth runner for much of the season. Lane was also a member of the Lion top seven, adding an individual victory at Lock Haven. Lane really hit her stride on the track, where she achieved regional-qualifying status, running 4:26.36 for 1500-meters. Millhouse also ran well on the oval, clocking 17:11.58 in the 5000.
Also back in 2009 is fifth-year senior Claire Berryman (Morgantown, W.Va.). Berryman, who redshirted the 2008 season, was one of the Lions' top five scorers during the 2007 season.
"This season will be a true test of their tenacity towards reaching their team goals," said Sullivan.
Newcomers
The Nittany Lions will add a stellar class of freshmen to the fold, including Ohio standout Brooklyne Ridder (Cincinnati, Ohio), and Pennsylvania products Natalie Bower (Pleasant Unity, Pa.) and Lindsey Graybill (Macungie, Pa.).
Ridder was a two-time OHSAA Division I cross country champion and a two-time state runner-up. She placed second in the 3200 meters at the Ohio state meet as a senior and also ran on her school's state-qualifying 4x800-meter relay. Ridder was three-time state runner-up in the 3200, and owns an impressive high school PR of 10:34.32.
Bower, a four-time state cross country qualifier, led her Greater Latrobe squad to a second-place finish at the 2008 PIAA State Cross Country Championships with a ninth-place standing individually. On the track, Bower was the Pa. state champion in the 1600-meters as a senior, finishing in 4:52.65 - the fastest time in Pennsylvania in 2009. Bower also owns a 10:39.40 3200 PR and placed second in the mile at the prestigious Penn Relays.
Graybill led her team to a 2008 Pennsylvania state cross country title, placing fourth overall and third among team competitors. She also led her team to a district championship as a senior, earning runner-up honors individually. As a junior, Graybill was the number-one runner on Emmaus' state title team in 2007. On the oval, Graybill brings outstanding 4:55.56/10:47.08 1600/3200 credentials to the table.
Another exciting addition the Nittany Lion roster this fall is freshman Nicole Lord (Media, Pa.), who will be running her first-ever season of cross country. Lord, a multiple-sport standout at Penncrest, stepped on the track for the first time last spring, and finished the season with a fourth-place effort in the 3200 at the Pennsylvania State meet, clocking a noteworthy 10:48.63.
Action at Lock Haven is set to begin at 6 p.m., on Friday. Log on to www.gopsusports.com for full recaps and results following the event.